And that would have been the case even if Air France hadn\u2019t canceled their flights \u2014 due to the conflict in Iran \u2014 halfway through their travel.<\/p>\n
\t As Eskenazi explained, due to a variety of political and economic factors, it\u2019s not easy to get out of Cuba. Her athletes needed various visas that would allow them to travel through Europe to get to Israel, and Cuba does not have a national airline with the same international capabilities as travel giants like Air France or Turkish Airlines.<\/p>\n And because Cuba\u2019s oil supply lags behind much of the world, Air France does not offer flights from Cuba. So they had to travel to Panama first, just to get to Paris.<\/p>\n The original plan, Eskenazi said, was for a portion of the delegation to fly from Havana to Panama to Paris to Tel Aviv. But when Air France canceled all its flights to Tel Aviv, they had to pivot \u2014 which wasn\u2019t easy given their restrictive travel visas.<\/p>\n \t Part of the delegation flew from Paris to Austria, while others went through Abu Dhabi, where Eskenazi said Cubans don\u2019t need visas. And each group had layovers of 12 or 15 hours, making the total journey from Cuba to Israel take four or five days.<\/p>\n Eskenazi\u2019s journey was different because she had a visa that allowed her to travel through the United States. She flew from Havana to Miami to New York to Tel Aviv. Even then, she still had an 18-hour layover in New York.<\/p>\n Eskenazi said her group would not have made it to Israel without the help of the Maccabi World Union, the global organization that puts on the Games and supports local delegations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are here thanks to the Maccabi World Union,\u201d she said in a phone interview from Israel. \u201cMaccabi World Union, they did many things for Cuba, for the Cuban Jewish community to participate in this Maccabiah.\u201d<\/p>\n So once the Cuban cohort finally made it to Tel Aviv, it was understandably a meaningful arrival.<\/p>\n \t \u201cIt has been very, very emotional for us because in Cuba we have many difficulties right now,\u201d Eskenazi said. \u201cAnd to arrive here, to have electricity, to have food, to be safe, to have our friends, to make sport, to share with all of the people from all over the world, has been very emotional, very emotional for us.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s also been a successful trip, competitively speaking.<\/p>\n Cuba has won several medals, competing in sports including softball, futsal and basketball. Eskenazi herself has won two: a silver medal in the one-mile run and a bronze in the five-kilometer competition for the 55-59 age bracket.<\/p>\n But beyond sports, Eskenazi said it\u2019s been a special experience for her athletes \u2014 who hail from a country with a relatively affluent but small Jewish community \u2014 to be surrounded by Jews from around the world.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important because imagine that you can share with people from Holland, from France, from the United States,\u201d she said. \u201cWe met people from Ukraine, from Argentina, from Mexico, from different parts of the world. It\u2019s been very, very emotional.<\/p>\n \t \u201cWe are happy to be here because we love to share here with the Israeli way of life,\u201d Eskenazi added. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s very interesting, and we love Israel. Remember that we are Jewish people, and the Israeli people, they are friendly. This is a very special country. If you can see people, for example, with kippah on the street, with tefillin or tallit, it\u2019s like to be inside of the synagogue, a big synagogue. It\u2019s amazing to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n And after the Games end, it\u2019s right back on the plane home. Hopefully, with fewer stops this time.<\/p>\n Eskenazi said her delegation is again splitting up into smaller groups, with some flying back through Paris and Panama, and others going through Madrid straight to Havana.<\/p>\n Regardless of the logistics and the travel delays, Eskenazi said Israel is a special place.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I visit Israel, I feel like Cuba, like my country,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel that this is my home, also.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tThe Cuban delegation poses during the Maccabiah Games in Israel. (Courtesy Hella Eskenazi)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cuba3-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tHella Eskenazi (fifth from left) poses with members of the Cuban delegation for the Maccabiah Games in Israel. (Courtesy Hella Eskenazi)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cuba2-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tThe Maccabiah Games are held at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, Israel. (Courtesy Hella Eskenazi)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F260701DM19-2-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tThe opening ceremony of the 22nd Maccabiah Games at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, July 1, 2026 (Danny Maron\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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